BlueShoe

It would make no sense to move Lewis inside on non-passing-downs. I am sure the coaching staff has no desire to do so.

Yeah. He is much heavier than what he played in college and it shows. I think it could have something to do with the injuries though. A friend of mine played for the Oakland Raiders, and we were talking about this yesterday. When you’re working out every day and not missing practice then it’s normal to lose weight as the season progresses. However, the opposite typically happens when you’re hurt and missing reps in practice. I think Lewis just needs to get healthy. Once he is available full time, then we should see that weight drop.

I agree with your fears. I liked him at first, but I’ve changed my mind on him. He has production, but I don’t think he is a full time starter in the NFL. He is not very athletic and he can’t bend. Once he gets his hands on you then it’s over, but I am not sure if he has the wheels to catch these new-age NFL quarterbacks from the outside. He might need to move inside, but how well can he defend the run inside? I’m not taking a guy high in the draft, who I need to experiment with.

I don't think he is as athletic as Nick Bosa or Josh Allen, and his ceiling is not as high, but you know what you're getting with him. I think his best fit is a 4-3 defensive end. He has outstanding technique and he uses his hands very well. He is nearly full-polished and I think he is going in the top 10.

Yeah. I think it is safe to say that Burns will 3-cone a lot better than Chubb did though. That extra 40 or so pounds will show. It's very possible for Burns to 3-cone under 7 seconds. He is a natural bender.

I think he is one of those players who can destroy the draft season and climb the boards. He has those physical traits that typically test well. He was a 4-star recruit... Obviously based on his physical abilities. He is a heck of a pass rusher... But can he keep that quickness when he adds the necessary weigh? We have seen that go both ways. He does a better job against the run than he gets credit for. He doesn't take any plays off. He checks a lot of the boxes for me.

I think it could go either way. Burns might be there with our first second-round pick, but I doubt he will last much longer than that.

I don't think we will evolve into a defense that drops both safeties in the box and leaves our corners one-on-one. Therefore, a shut-down corner is just not necessary. Even if we did call cover 0 on a few plays, it would be very rare. In my opinion, we don't need track stars with long speed at corner. I think we need physical, quicker than fast players, with good balls skills. Deandre Baker would be a great fit, but I am not sold on taking a corner that high in the draft if an edge player is there. That said, I believe Baker would be more than worthy at #26.

Correct. And Melvin technically didn't fit the cover 2 scheme that well. Plus, I think Ballard wanted to get Melvin out of Morrison's crosshairs. He probably saved Melvin's life by shipping Antonio to the NFC.

I think we will eventually get more complex with our scheme, but right now we are playing a lot cover 2 in the nickel and our corners are not required to have long speed because they are mostly playing zone. As the defense progresses, then we will need to add some press-man with help over the top, but even then the corners will not be required to have long speed. We need to them to be more physical and sticky within 20-yard spaces rather than super-fast track stars. Think of it this way... Darrelle Revis would not have been a good fit for our current defense. It would have been a waste of his talents and it would have exposed is only weakness - tackling. However, he would have been a perfect fit for the 3-4 man scheme that Pagano ran. It's about fitting the right pieces in the right places and fortunately for us, corners who have the skill set to play in the cover 2 are not typically high-priced. By the way, I love your Shoe! I feel like I am starting a revolution.

I agree. Our young defense has some potential, and our scheme is masking some of our inexperience and weaknesses. Matt Eberflus is doing an outstanding job.

We could do this all day, but I won't. I have my opinion and you have yours. We do not agree, and we are not going to agree. No offense, but I am not spending any more of my time discussing this. I've already had this discussion several times with others and myself over the past 30 years or so. I have come to my beliefs based on a few decades of data that has flowed in and out of my brain. There are people who believe the way you do (like Grigson) and there are people who look at things the way I do (like Belichick). You are free to have your own opinion on how to build a football team.

Do you think the Patriots have a great group of receivers? How well did they protect their quarterback and how well did they get after the opposing quarterback? That is what wins football games in the modern era.

I know what you meant. I just disagree. We have way different opinions...

I consider the quarterback, the offensive line, and the front seven to all be skilled positions. So I disagree.